Matthew Sylvester is a CCOF Foundation Organic Transition Grantee.
Matthew Sylvester was raised in Oakland, CA by a family of hardworking contractors and nurses. “I am so lucky to be able to farm in the same county I grew up in,” he says. “I love to teach, work hard, and I love to grow food for people. Farming has changed my life, I enjoy what I do even though it can be overwhelming at times.”
Sylvester has experienced almost every aspect of farming firsthand. “I’ve spent seasons working from first light to dark, weeding, planting, harvesting, etc… My first two years we didn’t even have a tractor.” After investing his life savings into his business in 2014, Sylvester built a greenhouse and shade structure and planted an acre of veggies. His farm has grown to three acres with a year-round vegetable CSA, flower CSA, restaurant sales, and 800 olive trees. Sylvester gives back to his community by donating produce, flowers, and plants to local nonprofits and schools. He aims to have his CSA accept EBT/SNAP benefits.
Love
“I love being a farmer and I honestly feel like we are just getting going,” he says. “I love the connection to the land, staying in tune with the weather and seasons, and being able to eat and share delicious, high-quality veggies.”
“Part of the reason my wife and I quit our day jobs and started a farm was because of what we learned about large scale conventional farming and the industrial food system,” Sylvester says. “We saw how unsustainable and unjust that model is, and we became passionate to the point of throwing our hats in the ring. We want to try to give back to the land because we ask a lot from it.”
The CCOF Foundation is proud to support producers like Matthew Sylvester with the Organic Transition grant, which gives three-year grants of $10,000 per year to farmers transitioning their land to organic production. Grantees receive multi-year funding and one-on-one organic technical assistance.
If you would like to contribute to the success of Organic Transition grantees like Matthew Sylvester, please reach out to the CCOF Foundation’s Donor Relations Manager Shawna Rodgers, srodgers@ccof.org to learn more.
